Sonning Ladies 1 - Maidenhead - 0

Great determination and a 'gusty' performance from the Ladies 1s to turn Maidenhead over.

This match report was written by Anna, who played an absolute blinder (which she failed to mention in the report):

The last time we played Maidenhead, we lost 6-0, due to a sloppy press, goalkeeping errors and an unfair family advantage. A 10:30 push back meant a 9:30 meet- no pre- match sandwiches for Pikey. Getting down to the pitch early enabled an intense and thorough warm up, and we started well, which is uncommon for us, absorbing pressure from Maidenhead and launching some great counter attacks.

As the game progressed, Sonning were able to spend prolonged periods of the match camped out in the opposition’s 22. Some great runs by Katie and Alice in the middle allowed the forwards to stretch the defence wide, creating gaps in the final quarter. However, Maidenhead weren’t without chances, counter attacking with speed and accuracy. The back four of Joy, Lars, Maipo and Pikey held strong, channelling their players and making some great covering tackles. Emma and Annie held the middle well, offering out balls from the defence and linking up with Sophie and Sammy in the wide channels. After a convincing first half we went into the break 0-0.

We started the second half well, putting the Maidenhead defence under pressure with a series of short corners. Maidenhead caught us on the counter a couple of times, driving up the wings and playing the ball back inside to their support runners. However, due to everyone working hard, we held strong, denying them any clear cut- chances. In the middle of the second half, we won a short corner where the ball was injected to Pikey, stopped by Katie, who then played it to the left hand post, where Joy, the injector had run in to defect the ball inside the post- 1-0 Sonning.

What followed could only be described as a tense 20 minutes or so, where the game went from end to end with turnovers, interceptions and tackles going on all over the pitch. Mary, Coops, AJ and Claire continued to work hard up front, hassling the opposition’s midfield and defence and made some great steals. We managed to keep possession well in Maidenhead’s half, stretching the play wide, and then recycling the ball back to the supporting players. When the final whistle eventually blew, we were all overjoyed (great goal) and relieved.

A truly well-deserved victory for the ladies, who worked hard together as a team and we got what we deserved- 3 points and a clean sheet!!!!!

Man of the match: Anna
Coach’s player: Sammy
Muff: Mary- huge swing and a miss, followed by falling over, did not go amiss. And it’s about time!